Group items tagged

I use stupid under fairly constrained conditions. To me, a stupid act has a degree of willfulness about it and is serious. Making an error once is ignorance; making the same mistake multiple times is stupidity. Unfortunately, I see stupid acts and beliefs related to technology in schools all the time. These would be my nominees for the most stupid things** a teacher can do related to technology...

A collection of lesson plans and materials for teaching speech acts/pragmatics. Focuses on English, but ideas could be applied to other languages.

"Since 1995 the purpose of the Language Testing Resources web site has always been to act as a reference guide to language testing related resources on the Internet by providing a history of, and links to, language testing related information, including publications that are freely available on other domains. However, it's purpose has broadened over the years. Now, resources on language testing, such as articles, features, videos and audio, are made freely available for language teachers, language testers, and students of language testing, applied linguistics, and languages."

Explains the standards for web pages from Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, in clear chart format that shows what a webpage needs to include in order to pass, and examples of what a webpage that fails would include.

Official webpage of the AIM Commission: "The Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities, established by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, will study the current state of accessible materials for students with disabilities in postsecondary education and make recommendations to the U.S. Congress for improving access to and the distribution of instructional materials in accessible formats. This is the first commission in history charged with examining accessible instructional materials for postsecondary students with disabilities."

Full list of Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards: "The purpose of this part is to implement section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 794d). Section 508 requires that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology, Federal employees with disabilities have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use by Federal employees who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. Section 508 also requires that individuals with disabilities, who are members of the public seeking information or services from a Federal agency, have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to that provided to the public who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency."

The Berkeley Language Center has created a library of foreign language clips, each tagged for the vocabulary in the target language and for English descriptors (culture, linguistics, speech acts). Instructors are able to search the library for a clip of interest and then 'order' the clip (a URL is created linking to an mp4 file; the URL stays active for two weeks). Currently we have 5200 clips in 15 languages, and those numbers continue to grow.

"MIMEA is a series of interactive multimedia modules for language learning, practice, and assessment. The modules are based on video clips that show native speakers and nonnative speakers interacting in natural, unscripted situations. Interactive exercises reinforce language and cultural topics that spring from the scenarios. Teachers can use MIMEA modules as part of a language course to demonstrate language use, provide contextual language practice, or as an assessment tool."

The Breeze, the newsletter for The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles, will drift in with refreshing reports and facts of Japanese language education in North America. Publication of The Breeze is in part intended to help in developing strong regional and national networks in the teaching of Japanese.